Background:Computed tomography (CT)-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is regarded as a rapid, safe, and accurate diagnostic tool in examining thoracic mass lesions for the last three decades.Aims:To assess the role of CT-guided FNAC in thoracic mass lesions, to analyse the results, and to compare the results with other studies.Materials and Methods:Fifty-seven patients were studied over a year (July 2007 to June 2008) for their age, sex, and topographic distribution, pleural infiltration (based on CT findings), and cytological diagnoses.Results:Out of 57 cases, 78.9% (n = 45) were male and 21.1% (n = 12) were female. The age range varied from 34 to 79 years with the peak in the fifth decade. There were 54 parenchymal (lung) tumors and the remaining three tumor cases were mediastinal. The most common tumor was squamous cell carcinoma (42.6%) followed by adenocarcinoma (29.6%) and small cell carcinoma. Postprocedural complications were minimal and were noted in only three cases (a little pulmonary hemorrhage in two and hemoptysis in one).Conclusions:CT-guided FNAC of thoracic mass lesions provides a rapid and safe diagnostic procedure with minimal complications. The categorical diagnosis can also be achieved on the basis of cytomorphology. The figures obtained from this study are comparable with other studies except for a few differences.

Background:Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic infective disorder caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi. It usually presents as a soft polypoidal pedunculated or sessile mass. Nose and nasopharynx are the commonest sites, followed by conjunctiva, maxillary sinuses, penis, urethra.Aims:The aim of this study is to present the clinicopathological features of rhinosporidiosis in a large series of cases and to asses the role of cytology in diagnosis.Materials and Methods:63 cases were included in the study group. Diagnosis of rhinosporidiosis was confirmed in all cases by histology with or without cytological evaluation. May-Grünwald-Giemsa and hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining was used in all cases, and special stains like periodic acid Schiff and mucicarmine were used in a few cases. Detailed clinical history of all the cases was noted. Routine hematological investigations including ABO blood grouping were done in all possible cases.Results:Evaluation of the clinical data in our series demonstrated male predominance (36 out of 63; 56%). Nose and nasopharynx were the commonest sites involved (74.6%). Routine hematology tests did not show any significant change in most of the cases. However, a significant proportion of the study population (18 out of 41; 44%) had blood group O. Cytodiagnosis attempted in 17 cases out of 63 cases achieved 100% correlation with histology.Conclusion:Morphological appearance alone in a few cases failed to give diagnosis of rhinosporidiosis. Cytology can be very helpful in diagnosis in these cases, but histology is the mainstay of diagnosis.

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Glomus tumors are uncommon, with an estimated incidence of 1.6%. Cytological descriptions of this tumor are few. We report a 15-year-old boy presenting with a painful subungual swelling. Fine needle aspiration cytology showed uniform cells with homogeneous chromatin and scanty cytoplasm. Cytology was reported as “suggestive of glomus tumor”. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis. Careful cytomorphological examination supported by appropriate clinical history should suggest the diagnosis of glomus tumor and help in preoperative diagnosis.